Dutch electric trains now run 100% on wind power

The electric passenger trains in the Netherlands are now powered by wind energy.

Netherlands has adopted a sustainable mode of transport by opting for clean, renewable wind energy to run their electric trains.

In late 2015, the Dutch government announced its goal to power the country’s electric trains entirely with wind power by 2018. However, early success and construction of new wind farms in Finland, Belgium, and Netherlands, has seen the 100% transition to renewable sources one year ahead of schedule.

NS, one of Netherlands’ largest railway companies partnered with the Eneco energy to cut train ride emissions drastically. The NS alone transports 600,000 people a day, for which it uses around 1.2 billion kWh of electricity a year, which is roughly the equivalent of all the households in the city of Amsterdam.

This is a major step in reducing the European nation’s carbon footprint and this quick and dramatic readjustment will hopefully inspire railway companies worldwide to follow suit.